One Piece: The Legend Lives On
by MJMurasaki
Summary: I know, crappy title. Deal with it. A year has passed since Luffy became Pirate King and now he and the Strawhats return to his hometown, where he meets Damaki Kiley, a girl who will test Luffy's heart like never before. M for language blahblahblah
1. Return to East Blue! Luffy's Hometown!

One Piece: The Legend Lives On A Fanfic by M. J. Meldrim Based on the Manga by Eiichiro Oda

***Summary: **A full year has passed since Monkey D. Luffy found the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece and became the second Pirate King of the Grand Line. But while the Strawhat crew rejoices in their journey's end, sinister shadows are lurking in the five seas of the world. The Marines, along with many other notorious characters roam the seas, waiting for the moment to strike at one another. Meanwhile, taking a break from their endless journey on the seas, Luffy and his nakama return to East Blue to visit Luffy's hometown, Fuschia Village. While staying in his hometown, Luffy meets a young girl named Kiley, and suddenly, he begins to feel like he's never felt before as he comes to know her. But the seas of the world are far from safe as Luffy's heart and willpower are put to the test as he gambles his life and the life of his loved ones against all odds…

**Chapter One: ****Return to East Blue! ****The Pirate King's Hometown!**

***Somewhere in East Blue***

The wind blew steadily east, catching the white sail of a pirate ship as it cruised on, following the current of the sea of the East Blue. The ship was fairly small, though large enough to still be called a ship. It's bow held the shape of a lion, it's mane acting almost like the rays of the sun. On the main mast, the sail bore the pirate ship's symbol—a grinning skull, wearing a yellow straw hat.

Yes, this was the Thousand Sunny, the rumored ship of the greatest man on the seas—the Pirate King, Straw Hat Luffy. Though it had only been a single passing year that the Strawhat pirates had found One Piece, the news of the second Pirate King had spread quickly across the vast seas of the world, gaining even more fame for the already well-known captain of the Strawhats.

And at that very moment, the undefeated Pirate King was inside the galley of his ship, seated beside his eight nakama, all of them digging in to a great feast of food that was set on the table in front of them. The Pirate King was, at the moment, tearing of chunks of a humongous piece of meat with his teeth.

"Mmm~! This is SOOO~GOOD~!" Luffy cried, grinning ear to ear as he stuffed more food into his already full mouth. He wore his usual red shirt vest, jean shorts and—of course—his trademark straw hat.

"Luffy!" growled Nami, glaring at her poorly mannered captain. "Finish chewing before you start talking!"

Luffy grinned and swallowed the food. "Ahh~!" he cried, patting his belly. "That was great, Sanji!"

The said cook smirked, dragging a breath from his cigarette. "Isn't it always?" Luffy nodded and reached glanced around for more food, spotting Usopp's full plate from across the table and stretching his arm across.

"Luffy! Eat your own damn food!" Usopp snarled, slapping the rubberman's hand away. Luffy pouted, but quickly stole some of Zoro's food. The swordsman said nothing but scowled at his captain.

"Oi, Nami!" Luffy mumbled through another mouthful of meat. "When are gonna get to Fuschia Village?"

Nami rolled her eyes. "I told you five times already! Not for another week!" she growled, veins popping out from her forehead. "Now stop asking! The answer's not gonna change!"

Next to her, Robin giggled in amusement. "You seem very eager to be heading to your village, Captain," she said. Luffy grinned. "Well of course!" he exclaimed. "I wanna tell everyone that I became the Pirate King! They'll be so happy!"

"Oi, I'm sure they already know, Luffy," Zoro muttered, resting his left hand on the hilt of his sheathed swords that rest at his hip. "Yeah, but I want to tell them myself!" Luffy insisted. "I haven't seen everyone in _ages!_"

"What's your village like, Luffy?" Chopper piped in, looking up at the eighteen-year-old in admiration. Luffy glanced up as he thought about it. "Hmm…" he mused, thinking. "Well, there's the Mayor, and Makino, she ran a bar in town. That's where I first met Shanks!"

Luffy placed a hand on the top of his straw hat as he recalled the day when he had first been given it. Even though Luffy had been Pirate King for almost a year now, he and Shanks still hadn't reunited. Right now, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates were somewhere in the Grand Line, hunting down Blackbeard.

Blackbeard…that was another problem that had to be dealt with. Though Luffy had become Pirate King first, Blackbeard was still at large, threatening all five seas and challenging the World Government to no end.

Blackbeard was slowly tearing the world apart, for the pirates, as much as the marines as well. Luffy knew that he had to be stopped soon, or the entire world would crumble. But there was another reason Luffy would have to defeat Blackbeard …That man…the man called Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard, had been the one to have ultimately killed Luffy's only brother.

Yes, a little less than two years ago, Luffy's older brother, Portgas D. Ace, had met his end at the foot of the Marine Headquarters, Marinford, along with his "father", the legendary pirate, Whitebeard. While he was still barely conscious after nearly dying from a mental collapse, Luffy swore on Ace's grave that he would avenge him and destroy the man who had caused it all. And that man…was Blackbeard.

Of course, after he had reunited with his crew and becoming Pirate King, Luffy hadn't once grieved for his brother in front of his nakama, no matter how sad he felt. He, as captain, felt the need to not let his crew see him as weak, so he cried and mourned in private, never letting his nakama see him like that once.

While in the presence of his crew, Luffy put on a fake smile, to cover up the pain he was so regretfully keeping inside. In truth, even after finding One Piece, Luffy had refused to show any of his true feelings to his nakama. He hadn't smiled a real smile in almost a year.

But, having known him for so long, the Strawhats could tell the difference between a real smile and a fake one. Each and every one of them knew that he was keeping his pain inside. They all wanted to comfort him, but had finally decided together to let him grieve on his own. They knew he wouldn't want them to worry about him like this.

So instead, all the members of the Strawhat Pirates, their captain included, went on as if nothing had changed since they were separated…

"Man, are they gonna flip when they see us!" Luffy cried, punching his fists in the air. Sanji smirked. "I bet they will, if they don't wet themselves first! Imagine seeing the ship of the Pirate King docking right outside your village!"

"Yohohohoho!" cried Brooke. "That would be a sight indeed! Of course, I wouldn't know, because I don't have eyes! Yohoho! Skull joke!"

"Sanji-kun's got a point, Luffy," Nami said. "You haven't seen them in about two years. Are you sure they'll even remember you?"

"Of course they'll remember me!" Luffy declared. "I'm the Pirate King!" Nami sweat dropped. "They knew you before that, numbskull." She muttered under her breath.

"Don't worry, Luffy-bro," Franky said. "They'll remember you!" His sunglass-covered eyes began to fill with tears. "It's just…so beautiful!" he sobbed. "You're finally…gonna get to…reunite with your family…and friends again~~! I.—I'm…not crying…dammit~~!"

Beside Luffy, Zoro smirked. "It's kind of nostalgic, isn't it?" he said. "This sea…" Luffy, Sanji, Usopp and Nami nodded slowly, remembering when there adventure had first taken flight on these very waters.

"Yeah!" Usopp said. "Back then, we were heading to the Grand Line! Now we're heading back from it!"

"Shishishishi!" Luffy chuckled. "Back then, everyone looked younger. 'Specially, Nami!"

"DUMBASS!"

"SHITTY RUBBER!"

Tears pecked the corners of Luffy's twitching eyes as he sunk to the floor, two giant bumps on his head. Towering over him, were Nami and Sanji, both their faces twisted in anger, the navigator's fist pulled out in front of her, and the cook's deadly foot still dangling in the air.

"Nnngh…" Luffy moaned in pain, holding his head. Nami glared at him before looking away, her nose in the air. "_Anyways_," she continued. "We'll have to be careful now that we're in East Blue. I'm sure the Marines have been keeping watch on us. They might even figure out where we're heading."

"Nani?" Chopper cried, his eyes wide. "The Marines are watching us?" He shook his head every which way, desperately looking for any signs of the hidden Marines in question.

"Relax, Chopper," Nami said. "I didn't mean they were watching us right now. I'm talking about that little _incident _at Loguetown." Her orange eyes turned onto Zoro, and Luffy who had recovered from the cook and navigator's vicious attack.

"Oi," Zoro said, narrowing his eyes. "Don't look at us like it was our fault! It was that damn Smoker!"

"It was your fault, dumbass!" Nami snarled. "If you had just stayed low and out of sight while we went to get supplies, the Marines would have never known we were there!"

"But Nami~!" Luffy complained. "I was hungry~!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Nami yelled. "You don't just walk into a town and yell, 'I'm the Pirate King!', dumbass!"

Luffy folded his arms and grumbled to himself. "I just wanted people to know who I was," he grunted.

"Well don't do it when there are a ton of Marines around, Luffy!" Usopp said, smacking Luffy upside the head, though it had little affect on the rubber captain.

"Ah, whatever," Franky said, leaning back in his chair, his cyborg arms folded behind his head. "What's done is done. So what if the Marines know where we are? Let them find us!"

"Yaaah!" Chopper cried, his eyes wide. "Don't jinx us!" Beside the reindeer doctor, Robin chuckled softly, her hand in front of her mouth.

"Heh," Zoro said, smirking. "I wouldn't mind a fight right now. I need to train some more if I want to get stronger."

"Na?" Luffy said, cocking his head to the side. "But Zoro is already the greatest swordsman in the world. Why do you need to get stronger?"

"There's always gonna be someone stronger who comes along, Luffy," Sanji said, breathing out the smoke from his cigarette. "We may be the strongest _now_, but in the future…"

"No way!" Luffy said, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm gonna be the Pirate King no matter what! No one's gonna get stronger than me!"

Nami sweat dropped. "Ugh…what is it with men? They're so competitive!" Robin chuckled. "It's one of life's greatest mysteries, Navigator-san," she replied, as the two Strawhat women watched as Franky, Brooke, Usopp and Chopper joined in the monster trio's argument.

***Fuschia Village***

It was around midnight in the small village of Fuschia. All of the lights in ever house were turned off for the night, the doors locked and the curtains closed. But in the pitch-black darkness, a single window flooded with light.

In the small house, a young girl of seventeen sat on her bed cross-legged, her ocean-blue eyes staring out her window towards the direction of the calming sea of East Blue. The girl had long light brown hair that reached a little past her shoulders and a slender body figure.

At the moment, she wore a simple pale blue nightgown that collected around her upper legs as she sat. The girl continued to look out her window, the light she had on in her room, illuminating her tanned skin against the darkness of the outside. Her eyes locked onto the waves of the sea that was just outside her home. How she wished she could leave this village and set off on an adventure out to sea. She had wanted to set off to sea since see was a little girl, but there were reasons that she had to remain on land.

The girl's name was Damaki Kiley, a young villager who had moved to Fuschia Village about two years ago with her mother. Since that day, Kiley's mother, Rose had contracted a disease and was still too sick to care for herself. This was what had ultimately ended Kiley's sea adventure.

But Kiley still dreamed. Every night, she would imagine herself on the vast seas of the Grand Line, having adventures beyond her wildest dreams. But sadly, all she could do was dream. Even if her mother recovered, Kiley still didn't know if she could leave her here all alone. Yes, there was her mother's friend, Makino to take care of her, but Kiley was her daughter and therefore responsible for her mother's well being.

Kiley sighed and reluctantly turned away from her window, shutting the curtains and turning off the light. But no sooner had she crawled into bed and closed her eyes, the loud, booming sound of a gunshot filled the air outside, forcing her eyes awake.

A gunshot was heard again, followed by yelling and the scream of a woman. Kiley, her eyes wide in fear for her mother's safety, leapt out of bed and raced into her mother's own room.

Damaki Rose had also been woken by the shot, her blue eyes wide in terror. "Kiley!" Rose croaked, her voice weak from sickness. "Are you alright?" Kiley nodded but froze when more gunshots and screams were pierced the night, before a bellowing shout was heard above the chaos.

"IF YA VILLAGERS DON'T WANT TER DIE, GET OUT HERE AND SURRENDER!" Kiley didn't know of anyone who had such a terrifying voice, but fear forced her to obey as she helped her limping mother to the front door.

As she and her mother stepped out the door, they were met by all the other villagers of Fuschia Village and a menacing group of men holding guns and flaming torches in their hands.

Though it was dark, Kiley could see a pirate flag in the giant hands of one of the men, the light from the torches allowing her to see. _Pirates?_ Kiley thought fearfully._ What are pirates doing here?_

Her question was answered as a large muscular man stepped before the helpless villagers, who were all crowded together, shielding their children from the threat before them.

The man wore a traditional captain's hat with his crew's symbol on it and a short black beard. His arms were crisscrossed with scars from previous battles and in his meaty hand, he held an ominous black sword.

"A'right, now listen up!" The captain shouted, his toothy grin sinister. "The name's Black Blade Stark, and starting today, this here village belongs to the Black Blade Pirates!" he declared.

"Bu—but, Mr. Stark, sir," Kiley turned her head to see the terrified face of the Mayor as he stepped forward to meet the threatening pirates. "We—we live here. Where will we go…?"

"Go?" Stark repeated, leering at the poor old man. "You people ain't going nowhere! Your jobs now is ter supply my crew here with food, weapons and booze! Gahahahaha!"

Kiley stared up at the pirate in horror. Was this really happening? How could these pirates do this? Someone had to do something before—

"Oh, and anyone whose got a problem with that gets run through by this here sword! Gahahaha!" Stark added, stroking the blade of his black sword, making the villagers' faces turn pale with fright.

While she held her mother tightly so she wouldn't collapse from exhaustion, Kiley felt her anger grow as her fists clenched around her mother's nightgown. Gritting her teeth, Kiley glared at the pirate who was threatening her peaceful village. How dare these scumbags terrorize her village! She couldn't stand for this! Something had to be done and be done fast!

***Somewhere in East Blue (A week later)***

The Thousand Sunny sailed smoothly along with quieting waves, the full moon reflecting on the water from the clear night sky. All the Strawhats were sound asleep, eagerly waiting to arrive at Fuschia Village the next day.

All, except one Strawhat—the captain. At that moment, Luffy was leaning against the side of the ship on the open deck, his trembling hands gripping a familiar orange hat. A hat that was once worn by a great pirate. A hat that now only served as an empty reminder of what once was.

Lost in thought, Luffy, not even realizing he was doing it, began to sob quietly, his wet tears dripping onto Ace's tattered hat. Yes, this was Straw Hat Luffy's true emotions, the ones he kept inside while he was with his nakama.

Luffy gritted his teeth and clenched his fists harder around the hat as he recalled the battle at Marinford. The clearing dust from the battle. The sound of gunshots and shouts of pain. The scream of his name that came before the moment when Akainu's fist went through his brother's body.

Ace… Ace had died to save him. He had died because Luffy had been too weak to save him properly. He had been useless in his brother's final hours, only being able to watch as Ace's life force drained away as he died in his arms.

"Uoooowaaaah!" Luffy sobbed. "AAAACCCEEE!" he threw back his head and shouted his brother's name to the heavens above, not caring if his nakama woke because of his cries.

And in fact, his nakama were awake, and as Luffy continued to scream his sorrow to world, he was completely oblivious to the eight Strawhats who lay awake in their beds, having been listening their captain's painful wails the entire time.

"Oh, Luffy," Nami whispered, her eyes glistening with sympathetic tears. Robin sat up in her bed her eyes closed, with her book leaned against her knees. "Poor Captain-san," she murmured. "Uooowahh…Luffy…!" Chopper whimpered, his own eyes streaming with tears, along with Usopp who also wore a similar expression. "L-Luffy…" the sniper murmured, dolefully.

"Oooh~! Luffy-bro~!" sobbed Franky, rubbing his watering eyes from behind his sunglasses. "Luffy-san! I feel your pain…though I have no heart~!" Brooke cried.

Sanji sat up in his bed, smoking a cigarette. "Damn, shitty rubber," he murmured, as he listened to Luffy's hysteric cries. Absent-mindedly, Sanji wipes the tears forming at his eyes away with the sleeve of his shirt. "Can't he be quieter?"

In the bed next to the cook's, Zoro stared up at the ceiling, his hands folded behind his head. He said nothing, only sighing inwardly and closing his eyes, tuning out his captain's sorrowful sobs. He knew that his captain would not want his sympathy at the moment.

Tears dripping down his face, Luffy finally sank down to the floor and buried his face in his knees and Ace's hat. "Ace…" Luffy whispered, tears still flowing freely. Even now that he had become Pirate King, Luffy was still depressed and hated himself for not being able to save his brother. The only reason he had continued to pursue One Piece was because his brother had asked him to with his dying words, and for the sake of his seemingly oblivious nakama.

Luffy sat there trembling, with his face in his knees for at least an hour, before the shock began to ebb away and he could regain control over himself. Sighing, Luffy wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and stared at his brother's hat.

It had been by sheer luck that the Strawhats had come across it on an destroyed island on their way to the New World. The hat itself had been burned greatly, though it could still be considered recognizable and Luffy didn't have the heart to part with it.

He made a promise that no one would wear ever wear this hat again, as a way to preserve Ace's memory. When he had told this to his crew, the Strawhats respected his decision, as he was still openly grieving for his lost brother at the time.

Sighing, Luffy closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the side of the Sunny, trying to forget the terrible memories that still ran through his mind since that day at Marinford. Of course, Luffy did not want to forget. No, he remembered it as a reminder to never let it happen to anyone ever again.

He opened his eyes and stared out at the twinkling stars above. He had made a promise, and to this day on, he continued to keep it. He would never, as long as he lived, lose anyone ever again. He would not lose someone else like he had lost Ace, and to that, he swore his title of Pirate King and his own life that he would keep it.

***On the Coastline of Fuschia Village***

"Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Chopper! Robin! Franky! Brooke! Get out here~!" Luffy cried cheerfully the next morning, all signs from the night before disappeared from his face. Instead, he wore what the rest of the Strawhats had come to call Luffy's "cover-up smile".

"Alright, already, Luffy!" called Nami as she came out of her room, followed by Robin. "Jeez, it's too early in the morning to be yelling like that!"

"Yeah, but I can see Fuschia Village!" Luffy exclaimed, pointing at the coastline of an island behind him.

"Ooh~!" Chopper cried, as he and the remaining Strawhats came out to the deck to join their captain. "I see it! I see it!"

"Sugoi~!" Usopp shouted, leaning over the rail to get a better view of the island. As the Strawhats took turns admiring the island where their captain had grown up, Nami narrowed her eyes a little.

"It's odd," she said, mostly to herself. Robin looked at her. "What's odd, Navigator-san?" she asked.

"Well, it doesn't look like there are many other ships docked there. Luffy said it was a trading village, didn't he?"

"So?" Zoro said, yawning. "Maybe the villagers are taking a break from trading."

"It doesn't work that way, baka!" Nami growled. "Besides, usually, there'd be people all down the docks. I wonder where they are?"

"Oh! I know!" Luffy cried, waving his hand in the air wildly. "Maybe everyone heard I was coming and got together to make a welcoming party for us!"

"Nani?" Chopper and Usopp exclaimed, their eyes twinkling with excitement. "A party?"

"Bakas!" Sanji said, hit the three on the head with his foot. "How could they know where we were heading?"

"Although…" Nami said, lifting her knuckle to her mouth as she thought. "It does seem a little unusual…"

"Maybe we should check it out?" Robin suggested. Nami nodded, pointing towards the island. "Franky! Steer us in and drop anchor at the docks!"

"Aye, aye!" The cyborg said, as he took the wheel of the Sunny and steered her towards Fuschia Village.

"Yohohoho!" Brooke sang. "Do you really think there will be a party?" Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" he cheered. "And I can't wait to see everyone! This is gonna be awesome!"

As the Sunny was docked at shore, the Strawhats glanced around, leaving their ship and heading into the village known as Fuschia. Luffy took the lead, marching happily, followed by Usopp, Chopper and Brooke, who were all chanting with excitement about the supposed party.

Though their captain and youngest members were oblivious, the other Strawhats could feel an unfriendly aura surrounding the empty streets of the town. There wasn't a soul in sight among the houses and bars, and not a single sound was heard.

Zoro and Sanji we both tense as they walked in the back of the group, the swordsman with his hand gripping the hilt of his katana, and the cook with his hands in his pockets, ready to lash out a kick at a moment's notice.

"OI~~~!" Luffy called suddenly, cupping his hands around his mouth. His tense nakamas' eyes widened in horror at their captain's loud yell. "WHERE IS EVERYBODY~~~?"

"Luffy!" Sanji snarled, rushing over and kicking him over the head. "Shut up before the enemy finds us!"

"Ow~!" Luffy grunted, holding his head as he looked up at his anxious nakama. "Enemies? What are you guys talking about? The villagers aren't our enemies!"

"Look around, Luffy!" Nami argued. "The villagers aren't here! Something must have happened here and all evidence leads to enemy pirates!"

Luffy squinted his eyes at her. "You're just being paranoid," he mumbled. "Don't insult Nami-san, asshole!" Sanji snarled.

"Oi, cook," Zoro said, glaring at Sanji. "You were just telling Luffy to shut up, and you're yelling. Stop being such a hypocrite, Dart-brow."

"What did you just say, marimo?" Sanji growled, turning to the swordsman, his nose steaming with anger.

"You heard me, love-cook!" Zoro growled back. Sanji clenched his fists, lifting one of his knees up. "That's it," he said menacingly. "I'm gonna kick your ass all the way out to sea!"

He leapt forward, aiming a kick at Zoro, who blocked it with his three katana. The swordsman and cook began childishly fighting, while veins popped from Nami's forehead. "Would you two…just SHUT UP!" she screamed.

Suddenly realizing what she had done, she clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. All nine pirates waited in silence for a gunshot, or the battle cry of an attacker, but none came. Relieved, the who crew sighed and wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

"Please, you mustn't scream like that, or you'll alert the pirates!" came a timid-sounding voice. Panicked at the sudden voice, the Strawhats screamed in terror at the black-haired woman who stood beside them.

"Wait, wait!" she begged, holding her hands in front of her. "Please don't scream. I won't hurt you."

"Makino?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side as he stared at the woman. The woman blinked at Luffy, before relief flooded her tired face, as she smiled warmly at him. "Luffy!" she cried. "Oh god, Luffy, is it really you?"

Luffy grinned widely. "It's been a while hasn't it?" he said, chuckling. The rest of the Strawhat crew looked on in confusion as the woman's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Luffy, thank goodness you've come back!" she cried joyfully.

"EH?" the rest of the crew cried, sweat dropping. Luffy grinned at them. "Oh, yeah," he said, pointing at the woman. "This is Makino, guys! She's my friend!" he turned to Makino. "These are my nakama, Makino!" he said proudly.

Makino nodded. "It's very nice to meet you all, but you must come inside before you're discovered."

"Eh?" Luffy asked. "Discovered?" Makino shook her head and quickly ushered the Strawhats into the nearest house. "I'll explain once we're all inside."

Once all the Strawhats had made it through the door and into the house, Makino glanced up and down the streets cautiously, before shutting and locking the door behind her.

The house was simple enough, only one floor with a kitchen and a few closed doors that led to bedrooms. What really stood out was the broken chairs and table that lay in the middle of the kitchen. Had a fight happened here? Slowly, Makino turned around to face the pirate crew, her eyes clouded with fear and misery.

"Makino, what's going on?" Luffy asked. The bartender shook her head, biting her lower lip. "It's horrible." she cried. "Our island was taken over by pirates!"

"NANI?" Luffy shouted, while his nakama gaped at Makino in shock. "Taken over?" Nami gasped. "The entire island?"

Makino nodded. "It was about a week ago. In the middle of the night, the captain, Black Blade Stark and his crew attacked, surrounded the village and forced us to surrender. We had no hope in defeating them!"

"But, why what would pirates gain from taking over a small trade town?" Usopp asked. It was Robin who answered this time, stepping up beside the sniper.

"From what I've been hearing," she explained. "More and more people have been setting out to sea to become pirates, probably because of the weakening of the World Government. Ever since Blackbeard invaded Marinford, the Marines haven't been worrying about the other Blue Seas surrounding the Grand Line. Correct me if I'm wrong but, for pirate crews just starting out, an island uninhabited by Marines would be just right to take control of to gather supplies, am I right?" She looked at Makino with inquisitive blue eyes.

Makino nodded slowly. "Yes," she replied. "The pirates have been stocking up on all our food and collecting pay from us. It was hard enough to make a living before, but now…" she trailed off.

"Great…" Zoro growled. "It's Arlong Park all over again." He glanced over at his captain. "Oi, Luffy, what's the plan?"

Luffy was trembling with anger; his fists clenched in fiery fists that were itching to punch a hole in the enemies who dared disturb his village. His straw hat fell over his eyes, hiding them from view and his teeth gritted in frustration.

At once, his crew, along with Makino, felt a surge of power emit from the Pirate King's body as his immense amount of Haki began to build up in rage. "I'm gonna kick those guys' asses!" he declared.

"Makino-san! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Luffy's Haki broke off as a shrill, weakened voice came from the one of the back rooms. The Strawhats turned to see an older woman, around her early fifties or so limping towards them, leaning on a poorly made cane.

She had chin-length light brown hair and faded blue eyes that were wide in anger as she glared at the bartender. "Rose-san!" Makino cried. "You shouldn't be out of bed! You're ill!"

"How can I lay down and rest when you're putting my daughter's life in jeopardy?" the older woman shrieked, her voice cracked with obvious exhaustion.

"Daughter?" Franky asked. The Strawhats turned from the older woman back to Makino. "Makino-san," Nami asked. "What's she talking about?"

Makino closed her eyes. "Honestly.." she mumbled to herself. "Please, Rose-san," she said, lifting her head up at the woman. "Of course I wouldn't let your daughter get hurt! I was just about to tell them!"

"Tell us what, exactly?" Sanji asked. Makino opened her mouth to speak, but the older woman beat her to it. "My daughter is being held hostage, you fools!" she cried, her angry eyes threatening to tear up.

"Nani?" Nami cried. "Why would pirates take someone hostage if you surrendered?"

Makino sighed. "Last night, the pirates invaded this house—Rose's home—and tried to get her to surrender all her beli. But…Rose here, is very ill and doesn't have much money."

"I told those pirates that I didn't have any money," Rose said, a scowl on her face. "And they started tearing apart my house looking for it, calling me a liar and whatnot." Her lips began to tremble as she spoke. "And when the pirates pulled out a gun…my daughter…Kiley, she—she attacked them!"

"Nani?" the Strawhats gasped. This story was starting to match the condition of the house; the broken chairs and table showed signs of a struggle or a fight. Rose looked heartbroken now, leaning weakly on her cane. Makino approached her and hugged her around the shoulder, looking up at the pirates. "The pirates…beat her severely and took her hostage. We still don't know what her condition is; they won't let us near her, and if we don't treat her injuries soon, she'll die!"

As the pirates listened to the horrible story, they could feel anger burning into their faces. How dare pirates sink so low as to attack a mere villager!

"Bastards!" Sanji snarled, breaking his cigarette in half with his clenched teeth. "How dare they harm a lady! I'll send them to hell!"

"Don't worry," Nami reassured. "We'll save your daughter, Rose-san!" The two woman of Fuschia Village looked at the Strawhats in shock. Makino couldn't believe what she was seeing. Only moments ago, the Strawhat crew had consisted of a happy band of pirates. Now, an angry aura filled the atmosphere of the house, frightening her to no end.

Nami, had taken out a strange silver pole and held in tightly in her hand; the strange tanuki had somehow changed from a tiny little creature to the size of a hairy-looking man, fists on his hips; the long-nosed sniper, that looked remarkably like Yasopp from the Red-Haired pirates, now held a long sling-shot in his hand, his face showing signs of anger; the walking skeleton wearing an afro had taken a blade from his cane and was looking as angry as a man without a face could; the blue-haired muscular man wearing the speedo and sunglasses, was frowning as he lifted his over-sized arms into fists; the black-haired woman was frowning as she stood beside the blonde man in the suit, who was lighting a new cigarette, his face grim; the green-haired swordsman whom Makino had come to know as Roronoa Zoro, was unsheathing his three katana, his expression unreadable.

And then there was Luffy, the young seven-year-old boy who had wanted to be Pirate King, and later set off from this very island to begin his dream ten years later. Now, with his dream finally fulfilled, the captain of the Strawhat pirates stood with his legs spread wide and his eyes wild with fury as he cracked his knuckles.

"Makino," he said, his voice menacing. The bartender lifted her head, barely able to think straight under the influence of Luffy's rumored King's Disposition. "Where are they? Where are those assholes?"

"Th—they're at the bar…They're keeping Kiley near them," she stammered, both her and Rose shaking from the young pirate's rage.

Luffy didn't reply just clench his fists tighter and lead his crew out the door of the house. "You don't have to worry, Makino," the Pirate King said darkly. "We'll take care of this!"


	2. Black Blade Vs Straw Hat

**Hey! It's me again! Here's the secondchapter to my very first fanfic! Yaaaay! So let me know what you think so far and thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter! You guys rock! Anyways, the adventure continues! When we last left off, Luffy and his friends were just about to kick some serious ass! Let's find out if they succeed!**

**One Piece: The Legend Lives On  
****Chapter Two: Black Blade Vs. Straw Hat!**

***Makino's Bar in Fuschia Village***

Weak. Useless. A burden to everyone around her. That's how Kiley felt as she lay defeated and exhausted against the wall of the village bar, blood and bruises spotting her body like decorations. She had allowed herself to be beaten so easily. And by who? A band of worthless pirates, the scum of the sea. She hadn't been enough to protect her mother or her village. She didn't even have enough strength to defend herself.

Loud and obnoxious laughter filled the room around her, making her flinch painfully as the pirates continued to drink the bar dry. The annoying laughter was getting louder and louder as the pirates drank more and Kiley, frightened and scared for her life wished she could get up and leave. But even if she weren't tied up by wrists and ankles, she didn't know if she would even have the strength to move at all.

Ever since last night, her wounds had gotten anything but better, and Kiley could feel her remaining strength leaving her body through her blood that soaked the floor. She knew that if she didn't get her injuries treated soon, she was going to bleed to death.

Not that it mattered to these pirates. They had the gale to come into her home and try to beat her mother for money when she was already well from illness. And when Kiley had rushed to her mother's aide, they had ruthlessly beaten her before dragging her into the bar while they drank until the sun came up.

Kiley thought she could have helped her mother by fighting back, when in truth, she had only proven that she was useless to the whole village. She didn't deserve to go out to sea, or even live if she could get beat by a bunch of stupid pirates!

No! She wasn't going to go down without a fight! Kiley knew she was going to die eventually. _I would rather die trying to beat these guys than bleed to death on the floor! _shetold herself. But what could she possibly do in this state?

Thinking hard, Kiley suddenly remembered the pocketknife that rested in the back pocket of her jeans. That would be perfect!

Now if she could just reach it! Gathering her remaining energy, Kiley gritted her teeth and frantically wiggled her bound wrists to loosen the rope that held them together. If she could just loosen the rope, she could reach into her pocket and cut herself free.

And then what? As hopeful as the plan sounded, Kiley knew that even once she was free, there would be no way for her to get up and run away in such a weakened state. _Dammit! I'm so useless!_

"Oi, boss! Looks like that girl's still alive! She's movin'!" Kiley froze from her wriggling as one of the pirates called out her escape attempt. Abruptly, the drunken laughter ceased and bar went silent.

"What's that?" Kiley flinched at the commanding voice that answered back. It was _that _bastard again!

Kiley refused to look up as she heard someone get up and the approaching thuds of boots growing nearer. Finally, the thudding stopped and Kiley stared down at two giant black boots in front of her.

She didn't want to look up, but conflicting emotions of panic and fear forced her head to move on its own accord, as her ocean-blue eyes locked with the ruthless pirate's beady black ones.

Kiley tried her best to show no fear towards the man who sneered before her, but it was hard to do as the mere sight of the man drove the memories of the night before to the front of her mind. She remembered vividly the man known as Black Blade Stark as he swung his black sword at her, and beat her to the bloody pulp that she was now. How could she _not _cower in fear?

"Oi! You're right!" the captain of the Black Blade pirates chuckled, the mere sound sending dreadful shivers down Kiley's spine. "That's surprising; we beat 'er real good last night! She should be dead by now!"

Kiley flinched as Stark's crew began jeering in the background. Could this humiliation get any worse? "Oi, cap'n," one of Stark's crew called out. "Looks like she's in a lot of pain. Maybe we should…heheh, finish 'er off?"

"…?" Kiley barely had the strength to gasp as the rest of the pirate scum began to agree with him, until there was a loud cheering throughout the room.

Kiley's eyes met Stark's, her wide, terrified blue orbs staring deep into the equally terrifying black ones. Stark seemed to be considering the idea, placing his hand on his chin, before sneering menacingly down at the young girl.

"Heheh, that ain't a half bad idea there," he replied, in which his crew gave another shout of excitement at their captain's approval. "After all, this little bitch deserves it after what she did to me!"

Kiley could remember clearly what she had done to this pirate. She remembered her mother, weak and coughing and hacking from the strain she was putting on herself. She'd seen the captain pull out of his coat a gun, aimed at her beloved mother.

She hadn't thought about the consequences, nor had she heeded her mother's desperate screams to get away. All she saw was the man who was threatening the only family she had ever known and she kept that thought deep in her mind as she leapt onto the man's back and punched and kicked at him with all her might.

Though Kiley wasn't as strong as most, she still knew the basic self-defense moves that a girl should always remember in a crisis situation. She'd done her best to defend her mother from the pirate and had surprisingly managed to get a good kick in and break his nose before his larger weight and fighting experience caught up to her and pinned her against a wall.

Though it had ultimately led to her death, Kiley didn't regret attack this hateful man. She had protected her mother—for the time being—and had done what she thought was best to do. And if she was going to die because of what she did, then so be it. But she wasn't going down the way they wanted her to go.

Kiley scrunched up her face in disgust as she smelled the man's horrible breath on her face, now that he had kneeled down to eye level. His breath smelled dreadful—like beer and…well, more beer.

She turned her head away weakly, but the larger, stronger pirate grabbed hold of her chin and forced her to face him. "It's too bad that you had to go and pull a stunt like that," he growled, a sneer played on his greasy face. "After all, we just wanted pay for protecting yer village. Is that so hard ter ask?"

Suddenly, rage erupted from Kiley's body as she narrowed her wide eyes dangerously at the man. "_Protecting us?_" she screamed. "You've done anything _but!_"

Stark chuckled. "Well if ya wanna ter be touchy 'bout it…" Kiley huffed angrily, wincing in slight discomfort as the pirate's grip tightened on her chin. "It's too bad though," Stark continued. "I like gals with a little spirit. But if I don't kill ya, I'd be looking soft in front of my crew, and you understand, don't ya, that I can't look weak in front of 'em?"

Kiley, enraged, did something that made her current situation even worse. Thrashing her head around a bit, she managed to get her chin free enough to bite down on the pirate's hand. Hard.

Stark let out a startled yelp and he leapt back in pain, holding his now bleeding hand. Kiley, meanwhile spat out the pirate's disgusting blood from her mouth, glaring at the man who had hurt her village.

"Why you little bitch!" Stark snarled, approaching her quickly and throwing his foot behind him. Kiley didn't have a chance to act surprised as a heavy boot dug into her already wounded side, sending her flying across the floor of bar.

"Gaaahaaahhaah?" Kiley cried as her body came to a hard stop against the booth of the bar, her skull cracking with the impact. Tears peaked at her eyes as she gritted her teeth and stared up, terrified at the man who was stalking up to her once again.

Stark was no longer smiling; his face was wrinkled with angry lines and he now brandished a gun in his right hand, aimed at Kiley. Around him, his crew was silent, their good moods gone with the serious aura their captain now held.

"You little bitch," Stark snarled. "Forget the quick and painless—I'm gonna kill ya nice and slow!" Kiley no longer had the energy to even try to escape. The kick had opened her wounds even more; blood was now oozing very quickly from both old and now new wounds. _Please, just let this pain be over soon! _she practically begged.

Kiley's vision was becoming blurry and spotted; she could only hear. Hear the barely audible feet of Stark as he stopped walking, the sound of the gun being set, the sound of the trigger being pulled…

…**BOOOOM! **The doors of the bar flew across the room, crashing to the shelves behind the counter, spilling bottles to the floor. The Black Blade pirates stopped all movement to see what had caused such a crash.

As the dust cleared, the pirates saw the figures of nine people, standing in the ruined doorway, their expressions filled with rage. As the figures became more detailed, the Black Blade pirates found themselves looking at the most bizarre group of people they had ever seen in their lives.

Kiley herself couldn't believe her fading vision as she stared past Stark to see who had postponed her execution. Standing side-by-side was, a long-nosed man holding a slingshot; a large hairy man wearing a pink hat; a black-haired woman beside a younger red-haired woman; a blue-haired muscular man with glasses and a speedo; an blond man smoking a cigarette, a bizarre tall man who looked like a walking skeleton; and a green-haired man holding three swords.

Standing in the center of these strange people was a thin, young man around eighteen, wearing an open red vest and a straw hat that hung by a string around his neck. Kiley had no idea who these people were, but they looked very angry at the moment.

Stark meanwhile, annoyed that his fun had been interrupted, pulled his gun away from Kiley and turned around to slowly face the intruders. "Who the hell are you clowns?" he asked, a sneer running across his face. Around him, his crew let out a few chuckles.

The boy with the straw hat took a step forward, spreading his legs apart and bringing his fists up in front of him. "Are you the Black Blade pirates?" he asked, his voice strangely low and threatening.

Stark smirked, his full attention now on the newcomers. "Yeah," he replied. "What of it? Ya got some business with me?" He waited for a retort from the boy, but none came. Instead, a raging surge of power filled the air around the Black Blade pirates, causing them to wince under its influence.

Around him, Stark heard some of his crew let out agonizing cries, before collapsing to the floor, unconscious. Stark himself, found that it was hard to stand. What the hell was that?

"How dare you…" Stark blinked at the menacing voice that came from the brat in the middle. His hair was covering his eyes so he couldn't see what kind of expression the boy held. Suddenly, another surge of power rushed around the room as the boy lifted his head, his eyes mad with furious rage. "_HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY VILLAGE?_" Luffy snarled as he tried to control his Haki that was leaking out of his trembling body.

"Your village?" Stark scuffed, gritting his teeth in the effort to remain standing. "You're not one of the villagers? You a pirate or somethin'?"

Luffy didn't reply as he tried to calm down enough to survey the situation. Apart from the pirates he had knocked out with his King's Disposition, there were about twenty-five or so left, not counting their captain. Perfect—he could take them all out in one go.

Beside him, Luffy felt Zoro nudge his shoulder. "Oi, Luffy," he murmured, motioning his head towards Stark. Luffy followed his first mate's gaze and gritted his teeth as he saw girl that Makino had told them about.

This was Rose's daughter, the girl who had taken on a crew of pirates to keep them from harming her mother. It made Luffy furious to see what these pirate had done to her. Her body was covered in what looked like sword wounds and there were bruises that decorated her arms and legs. The girl's eyes, a clear sapphire-blue color, were glazed over and wide in fear and confusion. This made Luffy even angrier. How dare these nobody pirates do this to an innocent villager?

"O-oi, Boss!" Luffy tore his eyes away from the girl as he heard one of Stark's crewmembers call out in a slightly frightened voice.

"What?" Stark growled, glaring at his crewmember. The weaken pirate flinched and shakily pointed towards Luffy and his nakama. "I-I know these guys! Th-they're practically famous on the Grand Line!" he cried.

"What are ya talking 'bout?" Stark growled, as he and the rest of his crew took a closer look at Luffy and his nakama.

"Y-you're right!" another pirate called. "I've seen their faces too! On wanted posters!"

"So have I!" another cried, pointing at the three who stood in front of the rest. "Th—that's Roronoa Zoro and that B-Blackleg Sanji!"

"Nani?" a third pirate shrieked. "I-if the Pirate King's first and second mates are here…" he trailed off as another crewmate finished his sentence for him.

"…Then that guy must be…the PIRATE KING!"

"NANI?" the Black Blade pirates screamed. "WHAT"S THE PIRATE KING DOING IN EAST BLUE?"

The Black Blade pirates began to scramble to flee from the notorious Strawhat pirates, all the while yelling and crying I fear. At Stark's feet, Kiley stared at the blurring newcomers, confused. Her hearing was fading just like her vision so she hadn't heard anything of what anyone had just said, but she could still tell that there was panic among them. But why was that? Surely these newcomers were nothing but mere travelers? In fact, Kiley was almost sure of it. These people, whoever they were, would be beaten to bloody pulps by Stark within a matter of minutes, just as she had. There wasn't anyone who could stand up to these fiends.

"Shut up, ya idiots!" Stark yelled, causing his crew to stop their panicked pacing. "How stupid are ya, anyway?"

His crew looked at him in confusion and back at the Strawhat pirates, who hadn't moved from their spots. Luffy and the others knew they couldn't allow themselves to attack until Stark had stepped far away enough from the girl so that they could rescue her. They just had to endure it a little longer and hope that their control over their anger would hold out till then.

"How could this guy—this _brat_—be the Pirate King?" Stark pointed a mighty finger at Luffy. His crew didn't say anything. "Exactly," Stark continued. "He can't! I know exactly what this kid is! He's a fraud; a nobody who tries ter scare others by dressin' up and acting like the Pirate King!"

As Stark continued to mock Luffy's identity, his nakama could feel Luffy's frustration as he gritted his teeth. How dare this asshole insult him and his nakama?

"…And the rest of this pathetic crew are no different! They were trying ter fool us, trying ter intimidate us!" Stark sneered. "But they didn't count on me bein' smarter than 'em, huh? That's why I was picked by Blackbeard to lead this here crew!"

As Luffy's eyes widened at the name of the most hated man in the world, Stark slowly walked away from Kiley, brandishing his gun and aiming it at him, pressing the mouth of it on the captain's forehead. "Heh, sorry brat," Stark jeered, moving his finger to pull back the trigger. "But I can see right through yer little tricks!"

It was at that moment, when the Black Blade captain had stepped away from his hostage, that Luffy lashed out his left hand, gripping the arms that held the gun to his head, squeezing it tightly until a sickening crack was heard.

Stunned by surprise and pain, Stark let go of the trigger and tried to pull his arm out of Luffy's death grip.

Gritting his teeth, Stark glared down at Luffy, who had lifted his head, revealing furious brown eyes. "You bastard! Who the hell are you?" Stark cried, his voice cracking in fear.

Luffy, stretching his free arm back and out the door, glared at the taller captain. "Monkey D. Luffy," he snarled through clenched teeth. Stark's eyes widened as Luffy let out his infamous battle cry. **"Gomu Gomu no…"** he declared, as his right arm came stretching back, aimed at Stark. **"PISTOL!"**

Luffy's rubber fist came smashing into Stark's face as the captain went flying through the wall of the bar. Luffy now stood their, his eyes wild, cracking his knuckles. "Who's next?" He turned his glare towards the remaining Black Blade pirates, who stood with their eyes wide and their mouths gaped open in shock.

It took a moment for them to register what had just happened, long enough for Luffy to pull back his fists again and release them, his fists landing lightning-fast blows on the pirates like bullets. **"Gomu Gomu no Gataling Gun!" **he cried. The Black Blade pirates soon followed their captain into the wall, Luffy's fists continuing to pummel them mercilessly.

Finally, Luffy's attack ceased fire, leaving the crew of rookie pirates plowed into the walls of the bar, some of them groaning in pain, but most of them rendered unconscious. Retracting his fists back to his body, Luffy, still wearing a grim face, reached behind his back to pull his straw hat onto his head.

Anger still surged through him, as if beating the crap out of these pirates hadn't made him feel better at all. He was still furious that someone would dare harm anyone in his village.

With the threat now gone, Luffy reluctantly sealed back up his Haki and his nakama behind him relaxed a bit. Slowly picking his way across the destroyed bar floor, Luffy crouched down beside the wounded girl.

Kiley's consciousness was fading fast; all she could see now were shadows and spots of bright light. She had no idea what was going on, or what had happened to the newcomers. Had Stark and his crew killed them already? She had barely been able to register the loud crashing noises she had heard only moments ago, but she was almost certain there had been a fight.

Suddenly, the shadowed figure of what she thought was a person conquered her line of vision. The figure was close to her; she could almost make out his face he was so close.

Still weak, Kiley squinted her eyes to try to see who was in front of her. Seeing double, she managed to make out a head of shaggy hair covered by a yellow hat and warm brown eyes almost hidden by black bangs.

The figure made to move his body towards her, lifting what vaguely looked like an arm up to her face. Kiley could feel the warm touch of a hand resting on her forehead and she sighed in contentment at its strange comfort.

When the hand pulled away, she longed for it to return as her vision began to get worse as she slipped deeper and deeper into a comatose-like state. She felt the ropes binding her limps together fall away, and in the background, sounding like it was miles away, she caught a muffled voice of someone speaking. "Chopper," she thought she heard the voice say. "Come help me move her." Kiley vaguely felt a pair of strong gentle arms pick her up before she finally fell into a deep, mind-consuming sleep.

***Fuschia Village, Rose's House***

The Strawhats slowly and silently made their way back from the bar towards where Makino and Rose were surely waiting. Luffy led the way, with the fatigue village girl in his arms, followed by Chopper, Nami, Robin, and Usopp. Zoro, Sanji, Franky and Brooke followed last, dragging the pirates of the Black Blade crew out of the bar, planning on tying them up and dumping them back on their ship for the Marines to find.

Luffy was very worried about the girl in his arms. Though Chopper had looked her over and said that she had only broken a few ribs and maybe sprained an ankle, Luffy couldn't help but to wonder how someone as weak and fatigue as her could have taken such a terrible beating with only minimal wounds.

What really worried him was the fact that she wasn't waking up yet. Nami had yelled at him and told him that not everyone was a monster like he was when he had asked. He figured she was probably right. If he had been beaten like this, he would have woken up a few minutes after passing out, but then again, he _was _the Pirate King.

As Luffy and his nakama reached the area where Rose's house was, they saw, with much shock, that all the villagers of Fuschia had gathered in front of her house.

Luffy could pick out many of the faces of people he knew, but others faces he had not seen before. All of them however, had expressions of fear and anxiety…that is, until they saw the Strawhats approaching.

The Strawhats watched as the depressed faces soon changed into expressions of happiness and relief. Soon, Luffy and his crew found themselves surrounded by the grateful villagers, all wearing big smiles.

But the biggest smiles came from Makino and Rose, who stood side-by-side. Upon seeing Kiley being held against Luffy's chest, Rose limped forward on her cane, pushing past the other villagers to reach her daughter.

"Kiley~!" she cried in relief, hugging her sleeping daughter awkwardly, as Luffy was still holding her in his arms. "Thank god!" Rose's eyes were streaming with happy tears and the Strawhats, despite their grim attitudes before, found themselves smiling.

"Luffy!" Makino cried. "You—did you really…?" The old bartender shook her head in disbelief, barely able to believe that this was the same small boy from a little over ten years ago.

Luffy flashed his trademark grin. "Don't worry, Makino," he reassured her. "No more pirates are gonna come and hurt you guys ever again! I'll make sure of it!"

After the rest of the villagers thanked the crew for freeing them and welcomed Luffy back, Luffy found himself sitting inside Rose's house beside his nakama. The girl—who Luffy now knew was called Kiley—had been laid down in her bed while Chopper treated her wounds. After the little doctor had finished, Rose and Makino sat down beside the sleeping girl, waiting for her to wake up.

Chopper had said that Kiley would make a quick recover, which Luffy was glad for, but an aching feeling caused him to be distracted from the good news. It had been what that pirate, Stark had said.

"_That's why I was picked by Blackbeard to lead this here crew!"_ That's what Stark had said. Suddenly, Luffy was beginning to realize that this insignificant crew who had dared to attack his hometown, had been working under Blackbeard. The very thought of anything involving that man happening in his village, made Luffy shudder with anger.

But Luffy's strange behavior didn't go unnoticed by his nakama. They had heard what Stark had said as well and were just as unsettled as their captain.

"Luffy," Luffy looked up at his nakama, staring at Zoro as his first mate continued. "We have to do something able this," the swordsman said. "It's getting out of hand."

Luffy nodded slowly. "I know…" he murmured. When he didn't say anything else Nami spoke up. "Luffy, we should talk to those pirates, see what they know," she suggested. "Maybe they know where to find Blackbeard."

"That doesn't seem very likely," Robin intervened. "From what we've heard, Blackbeard has countless of pirate crews under his control. This crew may not have even been receiving direct orders from him."

"Yeah, but what's up with them anyway?" Usopp asked. "Since when has Blackbeard's power spread to East Blue?"

"His power is expanding quickly," Sanji stated next to the sniper, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Last time we checked, he had power over all of North Blue and West Blue and at least half of the Grand Line."

"Who knew he would make a move on East Blue so soon?" Franky observed.

"Yohohoho!" Brooke sang. "This could be troublesome indeed!"

"So what are we going to do?" Chopper asked, his voice squeaking a bit with anxiety. The Strawhats automatically looked up to their captain and waited for his answer. Luffy didn't say anything at first, twirling his hat in his hands in front of him.

"Luffy," Zoro spoke up when the young Pirate King didn't say anything. "What should we do?"

Luffy sighed and stopped playing with his hat as he looked up. "For now, let's stay in East Blue. If Blackbeard is trying to gain power here as well, he'll come here himself. And when that happens…" Luffy paused as he gripping the rim of his hat tightly in his hands. "…I'll put a stop to this!"

**Well that's it for now! Again, let me know what you think of it! Next chapter, Kiley wakes up and the plot gets thicker. If I've made an grammatical mistakes or whatever just let me know and I'll fix it! Till next time, peace out!**

**--MJ**


	3. Kiley Awakens! A Fated Meeting!

Hey people! It's MJ again! Here's chapter 3 of my very first fanfic! Yaay! Sorry I haven't updated in a while but my schools finals were a pain! but now it's finally summer! ^_^

Also, someone commented and asked if this fanfic was AcexLuffy or LuffyxOC and it's the latter. LuffyXKiley all the way! *pumps fist in air* Anyways, enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but you probably already knew that. I do however, own Damaki Kiley! Yaay! XD

**One Piece: The Legend Lives On  
****Chapter Three: Kiley Awakens! A Fated Meeting!**

***Fuschia Village, Kiley's bedroom, two days later***

The first thing Kiley realized when she regained conciousness was that her wounds didn't hurt anymore. Granted, her wounds had been minimal to begin with, but she could have sworn that she had broken at least a rib or two. It was strange, before she had passed out, the injuries were letting off steady throbs of pain throughout her body. Now…she barely even felt stiff at all, if not for the fact that she hadn't attempted to move yet.

The second thing she noticed was that she was no longer laying across the hard, wooden floor of the village bar. Though she hadn't opened her eyes yet, she could feel the soft presence a very familiar bed supporting her body. In fact, it left like _her _bed! How was that even possible? Hadn't she been taken hostage by those pirates? What was going on?

As Kiley pondered over her current situation, she was only slightly aware of the rustling of bed sheets by where she suspected her feet were laying. She froze, listening for the sound again, fear suddenly clenching at her gut. Someone was in the room with her! But…_who?_ It couldn't be one of Stark's pirates, could it?

Kiley heard the rustling noise again, and against her better judgment, peeled her eyes open a crack to see who—or what—it was. As she did so, blinding light filled her pupils, and she clenched her eyes shut again, letting a small groan leave her lips.

At her reaction, the rustling stopped and Kiley chanced looking again, to see if whoever it was, was gone. Ignoring the bright lights this time, Kiley opened her eyes slowly and nearly jumped out of her skin as she came nose-to-nose with a strange brown creature with big, beady eyes.

Not giving it a second thought, Kiley squeezed her eyes shut and screamed. **"Kyyaaaaaaaaaa!" **Upon hearing her scream, the little creature, which resembled a tanuki with a blue nose and wore a tall pink hat, let out a panicked cry of its own and scrambled around the room, its little limbs flailing wildly.

Kiley continued to scream, her stress-stricken emotions having reached their limit as they released into the single yell. The shock and confusion she was now feeling only added to the stress.

"Kiley! Kiley! Stop!" Kiley froze, hearing the familiar voice fill her eardrums. Kiley's eyes widened as she saw her mother enter the room, the tanuki racing behind her legs in a failed attempt to hide—though it wasn't doing a very good job of it.

Seeing her mother's face, Kiley chocked back in even more confusion. "M-mother?" Damaki Rose nodded, her fading sapphire eyes, shining with relief at seeing her daughter awake again.

"It's okay, Kiley," her mother reassured, limping on her cane over to her daughter's bedside. "You're fine now." She reached the bed and pulled her shocked daughter into a warm hug.

"W-wait…" Kiley said, hugging her mother back, her eyes wide in even more confusion. "What…happened? I thought I was…"

"It's alright, Kiley," Rose said, hugging her daughter tighter. "The pirates are gone. You're safe."

"B-but how?" Kiley asked, pulling away from her mother. She stared at her with bright sapphire eyes that outdid even Rose's.

Her mother matched her daughter's stare and shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll explain it all later. Right now, all you have to know is that you are safe."

Kiley narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion, dissatisfied with the answer. But her mother didn't say anything else on the matter. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, but I was helping Makino make food for…some of her friends," Rose said, before chuckling to herself. "They certainly do eat a lot."

Kiley had no idea what her mother was talking about, but she didn't like the fact that her sickly mother was doing all the housework when she felt just fine to do it herself. "Mother, you really shouldn't—" Kiley began, but her mother held a hand up to stop her. "Kiley, I don't want to hear it," she insisted. "I may be sick, but I'm in much better shape than you are at the moment. Besides, where's the dignity in having your daughter do everything for you? For once, let me handle things. You just have to focus on getting better."

"Getting better?" Kiley asked, cocking her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? I feel fine!" She flexed her arms to prove her point.

However, Rose wasn't buying it. "Kiley," she said sternly. "You broke three ribs and sprained your ankle just two days ago. There is no way in hell that you are leaving this bed and doing _anything_ until Doctor Chopper says you can."

"Who's Doctor Chopper…?" Kiley asked, the name not sounding familiar. Rose smirked. "I believe you just met him a few moments ago, Kiley."

At first Kiley was confused. She hadn't remembered seeing anyone except that…tanuki… Kiley's gaze slowly looked across the room to where the brown creature hid behind the door. Or at least he was trying to. The only thing that remained hidden behind the door was the left half of his face, as it stared wide-eyed at Kiley who stared right back.

Kiley, not tearing her eyes from the creature's, lifted a finger to point at it. "Is that…him?" she asked. Rose chuckled again and nodded. "His name is Tony Tony Chopper and he's the one who's been looking after you all this time."

Rose turned around to Chopper and gestured for him to come forward. Reluctantly, Chopper left his hiding place and crept over, cautious in case Kiley decided to scream again. He made his way to the bed and looked up at Kiley.

"H-how do you feel?" he stammered, eyes beady eyes wide. It took Kiley a moment to register that the creature had addressed her. Hell, it had _spoken_ to her!

Kiley swallowed the urge to scream again, knowing it would only frighten the little creature. "I-I don't know," she murmured. "I mean, nothing's hurting me. My wounds, I mean."

Chopper gave a tiny reassuring smile. "That's good. It means the treatment is working so far." he said, making his way to the edge of the bed and pulling back the covers that had been draped over Kiley's feet. She flinched as cool air surrounded her feet but said nothing as the little doctor quietly examined her right ankle in particular.

"The swelling has definitely gone down. See?" Chopper gently lifted her foot for Kiley and Rose to see. Kiley didn't see anything that made her think her foot was better. Her ankle was blown up twice its size, surrounded by ugly bruising and swollen flesh. How was that good?

"Oh, you're right!" Rose cried, a smile on her face. "The swelling has gone down a lot!" Kiley looked at her mother like she was crazy. "Thank you so much, Doctor Chopper!"

Chopper grinned sheepishly and swayed his hips, his cheeks lit up pink. "Shut up, bastard!" he grinned, still happy dancing. "That doesn't make me happy! Asshole!"

Kiley couldn't help but to laugh alongside her mom at the little creature. Then, it finally dawned on her. "W-wait!" Kiley cried, as she spun her head towards her mother. "Two days ago? I've been asleep for _two days_?" She gripped her hair between her clenched fists, her eyes wide. Had she really been unconscious all this time? How much had she missed?

"Baka." Rose scoffed. "Of course you've been asleep for two days. After what you went through, I'm surprised you even woke up this early!"

"But…what happened while I was asleep?" Kiley questioned. Rose shook her head, knowing there was no way to avoid it. "Hhn, fine," she sighed loudly. "The village was saved by a group of—" Rose gave a half glance over to Chopper, who met her stare. "—sea travelers. The Black Blade pirates were defeated. Everything's fine now."

"Sea travelers?" Kiley asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. How could have a bunch of mere sailors defeated an entire crew of pirates?

Rose nodded. "Chopper-san here is their ship's doctor." She gestured her head back where the little tanuki was now examining Kiley's bandaged ribs.

"Wait, you mean they're still here on the island?" Kiley asked, sitting up quickly, wincing slightly at the pain. Rose nodded warily. She knew of her daughter's obsession with sailing the seas. If she told her too much before she was recovered, Kiley might get too excited and reopen her wounds.

"Can—can I meet them?" Kiley asked, her sapphire eyes glowing. Rose sweat dropped. _Is she really this predictable? _Smiling, Rose gently pushed Kiley's head back onto the pillow. "First focus on getting better." She leaned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "When Doctor Chopper says you can get out of bed, you can see them."

Kiley glanced quickly at Chopper, who was now tucking the bed sheets back into place, having finished examining Kiley's injuries. "You should be able to walk fine in a few days if the treatment continues to work well," the little creature explained.

Kiley beamed at the news. She hadn't felt this excited in a long time. For so long, she had wanted to sail the seas. Now, she was going to meet real veterans of the high seas, and not only that, but her saviors. She wanted to meet the courageous people who had squared off against pirates to save her life. As the excitement exerted her body, Kiley soon fell back asleep, a small smile on her face as she dreamed of the seas.

Chopper stared at the sleeping girl and turned to look up at the girl's mother. "Rose-san, why didn't you tell her that we're pirates?" he asked, his eyes wide in question. Rose sighed softly, not taking her eyes off her daughter.

"I have nothing against you or your nakama, Chopper-san," she explained. "In fact, I am beyond grateful to you for saving Kiley…but, I'm not sure how well she'll take it if she finds out that more pirates are in our village. She's had enough traumatic experience with pirates for now and I don't want her to hate you because of it."

"Oh," Chopper said. "But Luffy said that we might be staying in Fuschia Village for a little while longer. What if Kiley finds out that we're pirates?"

"By then," Rose said. "She will hopefully realize that you are not like most pirates and learn to accept you." She turned to Chopper and gave the little reindeer a reassuring grin. "I want you all to be friends one day, after all!" she replied.

***Fuschia Village, Dock where Thousand Sunny is anchored***

"Gaah! Sanji~! Food~!" Luffy groaned, sprawled out on his back on the deck of the anchored Thousand Sunny.

The said cook glared at his captain, angry red veins popping at his face in annoyance. "You _just_ ate, dumbass!" he snarled.

"But I'm hung~ry~!" Luffy practically begged. Sanji growled. "Too bad! Why don't you try to do something useful for a change and help Franky and Usopp fix Makino-san's bar, since you're the one who wrecked it."

Luffy pouted, but left the ship, heading towards the village. As Sanji watched him go, he couldn't help but regret yelling at the captain. Even after one year, Luffy was still emotionally scarred with the death of Ace. Now, the whole Straw Hat crew couldn't go a single night without listening to their captain's sorrowful screaming.

When the Straw Hats had left the Grand Line, it had been Nami's idea for them to return to Luffy's hometown, in hopes that visiting the place where he was born, would help Luffy get over Ace's death, and the rest of the crew agreed. Seeing their captain in pain was like having their own hearts ripped out. It was unbearable.

Shaking his head, Sanji vowed to apologize to Luffy later, as he set back to the kitchen to make drinks for his beloved Nami-san and Robin-chan.

Meanwhile, Luffy roamed the streets of the place where he had grown up. For the most part, it looked as though things hadn't changed. The houses still looked the same, and everything was still in the same place. The difference he saw in the buildings was some broken windows and of course, the big gaping hole in the bar where the door had been.

Yes, at first glance, Fuschia Village was the same as how Luffy had left it. The only change was the people. Of course, the Mayor was still there, as well as Makino and other people Luffy had been friends with before he left, but there were many new faces around him. Not just new faces either; everywhere Luffy looked, he saw people that he knew, but they looked like they had changed a lot over just a few years.

He now saw people that had once been kids around his own age, but now had families and children and lovers. Family… Luffy had once had a family. He still did in fact, but no one closer than a father who was never around or a grandpa who was supposed to be his enemy.

His closest family had died. His brother…he had let his brother die and now he was alone. Luffy sighed, trying to hold himself together before the tears came. If he started to cry now, he would never be able to stop and he didn't want anyone to see him so weak.

Luffy shook his head, trying to free his mind from anything that would make him think about Ace. He kept walking until he reached the very bar where he had met Shanks. He walked through the gaping hole where he had punched the door in and looked around to see Franky and Usopp working together to rebuild the place. Currently, they were trying to repair the wall of the bar, the very spot where Luffy had sent that bastard Stark flying.

Putting on his fake grin, Luffy walked up to his nakama. "Oi Usopp! Franky!" he cried. "What are you guys doing?"

Usopp sweat dropped at him. "Fixing the mess _you _caused," he said dryly. Luffy pouted and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't mean to…" he grumbled, before reached for some of Usopp's tools. "Can I help?"

He was answered by a wrench slamming into his head. "Don't touch anything, Luffy!" Usopp snarled, as the captain rubbed his head, though it hadn't hurt. "Why not?" Luffy complained.

"Remember the last time you touched one of our tools?" Franky asked, pausing from his work. "Chopper-bro couldn't sleep for _weeks_…"

Luffy grumbled under his breath, muttering something that sounded like, "He should've watched where he was going."

Usopp sighed as he picked up a hammer and handed it to Franky. "Hey, Luffy," he said. "Why don't you go find Zoro or someone?"

Luffy folded his arms. "But _Usopp,_" he whined. "Zoro is either training or sleeping and everyone else is busy!"

"Everyone?" Usopp asked. Luffy nodded, remembering how he had tried to play with everyone before coming to Sanji for food. "Robin is reading on the ship, Brooke is playing music for the villagers, and Nami went shopping."

"What about Chopper?" Luffy shrugged, not knowing where the furry doctor was.

"Well why don't you go play with Chopper." Usopp suggested. "I think I saw him in Rose-san's house earlier today. See if he's done treating all the villagers' injuries."

Luffy thought for a minute before he pumped a fist in the air in excitement. "Yosh!" he cried before turning and running out the door. "Bye Usopp, bye Franky!" he called behind him.

Usopp and Franky sighed. "He's still not smiling," Franky murmured, as he pounded a nail into a plank of wood with the hammer. Usopp nodded in agreement. "Let's hope that coming here can change it so he can smile normal again." The sharpshooter handed Franky another nail before turning to fix a leg on a wooden chair.

Luffy left the bar behind, heading for the Rose lady's house. As he walked again, he couldn't help but think that his nakama were trying to push him away. They didn't seem to want to play with him anymore. _It could be because they can tell something is wrong,_ a small voice in Luffy's head told him. _Of course not!_ He thought back, dismissing the voice's accusation. _They're just busy because they have to repair the village is all!_

Luffy didn't like lying to his nakama, but he didn't want them to see him upset. They deserved better from him; he was their captain _and_ the Pirate King after all! But…Luffy still couldn't shake away the grieve he felt in his heart. It was like Ace's dying words had latched onto him and wasn't letting go.

Luffy could feel the tears coming again but he shook them away like before and walked up to the village house, pausing to force a fake smile onto his face. Over the year, Luffy had found it easier and easier to force a smile. Now, it was natural to him, almost like a second-nature instinct. He wasn't sure if he should consider that good or bad.

Luffy opened the door to the house to find it empty. He glanced around and slowly walked inside, calling Chopper's name. When the reindeer doctor didn't respond, he began searching the house for him.

First, he checked the front room, and following that he followed his instinct—or his stomach, rather—and walked into the kitchen. Luffy glanced around before grabbing the handle of the refrigerator and opening it. "Chopper?" he said, looking inside. "You in there?"

The fridge was filled with food, naturally, but no Chopper. Groaning that he still couldn't find the little doctor, continued to rummage through the fridge—on the off chance Chopper was hiding in the back, of course. Figuring he couldn't search on an empty stomach, Luffy stuffed his face with food, occasionally calling for Chopper with his mouth beyond its carrying capacity.

Two hours had passed since Kiley had met Doctor Chopper and even after she had heard him and her mother leave, Kiley could not fall back asleep. He mind was just buzzing with too much excitement for her to go to sleep. Her mother had told her that there were real travelers of the sea at their village! Granted, many sea crews often docked at Fuschia Village, but this was the first time that Kiley felt like she owed these people something, despite never having met them.

These people had saved her village from pirates, single-handedly no less. Kiley wondered what they were like. _They have to be strong, to have beaten a whole crew of pirates by themselves,_ Kiley thought. She imagined a group of about twenty men, all the size of houses, wearing white sailor suits that showed off ripped muscles. _Yeah,_ she thought with a smile. _That sounds about right. These pirates wouldn't have stood a chance facing them. _

As Kiley fantasized about meeting these "heroes of the sea", she suddenly heard the clattering of metal—pots and pans it sounded like—coming from outside her room. At first, the sudden noise startled her, before she relaxed, assuming it was her mother or Makino, or even Doctor Chopper.

Wait! If it _was_ Doctor Chopper, Kiley could get up and show him she could walk. Then, he would let her meet the sea heroes! Proud of her plan, Kiley slowly sat up, wincing at the stiffness of her muscles, having not used them in days. She slowly pulled off the blanket sheets from her body and feet and slowly rotated her legs 90 degrees, letting them dangle off the side of her bed.

At the sight of her swollen ankle, Kiley grimaced, but shook it off. It didn't hurt, so maybe she would be able to walk on it. Just in case, he bit her lip in case she there was pain when she put weight on her foot.

Kiley gently pushed her body off the bed with her hands, timidly placing her toes to the floor. Cautiously, and on her tiptoes, she took an experimental step towards her door. When there was no immediate pain, she took another step, and then another, before finally letting her bare heels touch the wooden floor.

So far there was no pain in her ankle, though her torso was aching because of her broken ribs, as expected. Kiley bit her lip for the anticipated pain as he took a normal step with her injured foot. No pain. Sighing in relief, Kiley walked slowly towards the door again, careful not to put too much pressure on her ankle, but just enough to let her walk regularly.

Kiley finally made it out of her room and walked towards the kitchen, where the clanking of pots continued. She grinned widely. She couldn't wait to show Doctor Chopper he progress. Now he would _have_ to let her meet his nakama!

As she was about to turn the corner she called out, "Doctor Chopper! Look, I'm walking!" She turned the corner and turned her gaze to the spot in the kitchen where the noise came from.

Kiley froze at the person who was clearly not the tanuki doctor. It was a young boy, around the age of eighteen with short messy black hair, half-covered by a yellow straw-hat, and a mouth full of food, his hands filled with more food that had stopped halfway to his mouth as he looked at Kiley with confused brown eyes. "YOU'RE NOT DOCTOR CHOPPER!" Kiley shrieked.

Luffy blinked at the girl. His first instinct was to run, food in his hands, but he recognized this person. It was that girl—Kiley her name was—that had been beaten up by those bastard pirates. The only time Luffy had see her was when she was barely conscious on the floor of the bar and in her arms when he had returned her to her mother. This was his first time seeing her wide-awake or even speaking for that matter. Her voice was sounded high and alarmed, and her sapphire eyes stared at him in shock and confusion.

Realizing she had been addressing him, Luffy blinked again. "I'm Luffy," he said simply, bringing more food into his already full mouth.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?" Kiley cried. "AND STOP EATING ALREADY!"

Kiley didn't know how to act. This boy, seemed very familiar to her, yet somehow she knew he wasn't from the village. But it confused her. Who was this boy and what was he doing here?

Luffy reluctantly finished swallowing his food and took a step towards Kiley, who, not knowing how to respond, took a step back. "Don't—don't come near me!" she cried, taking another step back. Unfortunately, her ankle still wasn't healed all the way and she stepped back on it wrong. There was a small snap as her ankle was strained even more and Kiley found herself falling backwards.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. One second, she was falling back into a hardwood floor and the next, she found herself pressed into the chest of the straw-hat boy, his tan arms wrapped around her tightly.

Luffy, holding Kiley close to his chest, fell back onto his back, against the wooden floor. However, being rubber, he was unhurt by the small fall. He lay on his back for a moment, looked up at the girl who had her face buried in his chest, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited to hit the floor.

When the pain didn't come, Kiley opened her blue eyes to look into Luffy's brown ones, her face a looked of astonishment. Speechless, she didn't move, as she stared into his bright brown eyes. "You okay?" Luffy asked.

It took Kiley a moment to realize that he had spoken and she blinked shaking her head slightly. Had she just gotten lost looking into his eyes? How cheesy was that? "Uh, er—yeah," she murmured. "Thanks."

Luffy gave a grin and carefully pulled the two of them up from the floor. For a moment they stared at each other in silence before Luffy realized that he was still holding onto her. Awkwardly, he let go of her and she stumbled slightly as she tried to find her footing. Kiley let out a hiss of pain that didn't got unnoticed by Luffy.

He cocked his head to the side. "You hurt?" he asked. Kiley blushed slightly at how weak she must've seemed in front of this guy, but her ankle was hurting worse than before. "Um, yeah," she said. "I think I re-sprained my ankle." She showed Luffy her swollen ankle for effect.

Luffy nodded seriously before spinning around and shouting at the top of his lungs. "CHO~PPER~!" he yelled. Now, normally, no one would be able to hear someone call their name, no matter how loud, but being that Chopper was a reindeer, he heard Luffy's call.

Of course, he might have heard it anyway, as he had been right outside the house at the time, just about to open the door. "Luffy?" he said, a look of confusion on his face. "What are you doing here?" He looked from Luffy to Kiley, lowering his gaze to her ankle. "GAAH!" he cried. "Luffy! What did you do?"

Luffy looked confused. "Na?" he said, cocking his head. Kiley waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, Doctor Chopper," she murmured. "It was my fault. I got out of bed and re-injured myself. I was falling and he caught be before I hit the ground."

Chopper nodded slowly and began to lead Kiley to the nearest chair. While Kiley sat he examined her ankle, with Luffy sitting on top of the table next to them, swinging his feet back and forth casually. "It looks like you were right, Kiley-chan," Chopper said as he finished his examination. "You did re-sprain your ankle." He glanced up at Luffy. "It was lucky you caught her Luffy, or she would've been worse."

Luffy grinned and laughed happily to himself. It was then that Kiley realized something. "Wait, how do you know Doctor Chopper?" she asked Luffy.

Luffy grinned widely. "He's my nakama! " she cried. "We're pirates!" Kiley stared wide-eyed at Luffy as he began to process this. "N-n-NANI?" she shrieked.

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy chuckled, pointing a finger at her. "You're making a funny face!"


End file.
